Running
by Grumpy Go-Lucky
Summary: Frodo wasn't the first person be captured by a certain ranger. A good story in my opinion. Contains Faramir and an original character. Is not a FaramirOC love story. Non Mary-Sue. Please review.
1. Running

Disclaimer: I do not own the Lord of the Rings or any of its characters; it all belongs to J.R.R Tolkien. I do however own the main character in this fic and some of the other characters. The plot is completely mine so do not nick the plot or the characters because it is stealing.  
  
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Running  
  
She ran until she could run no longer, until her legs burned and her chest ached. After that, she walked stumbling over rocks and roots. She had no idea where she was going; the only thing that mattered was getting away. She walked through day and night until she was so exhausted that she collapsed by a small stream. She forced herself up and crawled to the stream's edge, dipping a hand into the cool water. The first handful of water was hard to get down; it seemed her throat had forgotten how to swallow in the long absence of liquid. She kept drinking until she could hold no more, abandoning her hands and putting her face straight into the water. She felt refreshed afterwards but a loud rumble in her stomach reminded her of how hungry she was.  
  
She found a comfortable spot under a tree and lay down trying to ignore the cold and her hunger. But once she knew of her hunger it began to affect her worse than she had ever imagined it could. Every time she breathed her stomach hurt. She kept as still as possible to conserve her energy and keep the pain at a minimum. She brought her knees up and squeezed them against her stomach in an attempt to stop the pain, but no matter how she lay she couldn't get to sleep. As she lay awake staring up at the stars she thought of what had happened to her in the last few weeks. The memories brought tears to her eyes, tears she would not let fall. She rubbed her legs to try and warm them and tucked her head down to her knees. Eventually she fell into an uneasy sleep full of nightmares.  
  
When she woke the next morning she was so tired she could hardly open her eyes. She was numb because of the cold and all she wanted was to stay where she was and never have to move again. The sun was rising, slowly spreading its warmth over her resting place. She opened her eyes and looked around; everything looked different in the daylight. The night before she had barely noticed where she was but now she could see that she was between a small clump of trees by the stream's side. The ground was hard and dry around her, even at the water's edge. There was little vegetation only the few trees she had sheltered under and a few bushes. The grass was long and yellow. One particular plant caught her eye.  
  
She got up quickly and ran towards the bush; she could see berries on it though she was not sure what they were. As she got closer she could see that it was a bramble bush, she was in luck. She began the search for ripe berries but she could find none, they were nearly all brown and dead as it was too late in the season. She went right to the heart of the bush trying to find some edible berries, ignoring the many scratches she was getting from the thorns. Her search only provided her with a handful of black berries. She ate them quickly but they did not do much to ease her hunger.  
  
There was no food in this place. She was torn between staying where she was and continuing to try and find something to eat. Water was valuable but it would not sustain her for long so she decided to leave and search for a better place to stay. Maybe if she walked long enough she would find her way home. After taking another long drink from the stream, she looked at the sun, worked out where she thought north was and set off in that direction.  
  
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After two more days of walking she was nearing collapse again. She had not managed to find any food and she had not had any water for well over a day. She had tried to follow the stream but it had doubled back on itself and headed south. All she wanted was to lie down and sleep but she would not allow herself to do so, fearing that if she did she would not wake up again.  
  
As the sun rose on the third day she spotted a forest in the distance. She quickened her pace, hoping that she would find food in there, maybe there would be nut trees. Two hours later she was nearing the border of the forest after climbing up and down many slopes, the land had changed and become quite hilly. She was stumbling, dragging her feet, forcing herself to keep going but just before she reached the shelter of the trees her legs gave way. Everything went black and she didn't even feel herself hit the ground.  
  
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Author's note: You won't know who 'she' is yet but don't worry all will be revealed. 


	2. Caught

Running  
Chapter 2  
  
The party moved soundlessly through the trees. They blended in perfectly because of the brown and green coloured clothes they wore. Each of the men wore a hooded cloak and had a scarf pulled up over his face. They were all alert for any sound, any movement, especially the scouts who walked slightly ahead of the group. When they reached the edge of the forest a strange sight met their eyes.  
  
The scouts in front stopped dead in their tracks, slightly shocked. Their leader came up behind them.  
  
"What have you stopped for?" He asked.  
  
"Look, Captain." One of them pointed to a large bush a hundred paces from them.  
  
The Captain looked and saw that there was something on the ground in front of the bush. He held up his hand to signal his men to stay where they were and cautiously approached the shape on the ground. As he got closer he realised that it was a person, lying face down, a girl. His eyes were fixed on the girl and he was wondering what she was doing there. He walked past a clump of long grass and disturbed a bird that was hidden there. The bird took to the air with a loud warning screech.  
  
The girl on the ground was on her feet in a flash. Her eyes widened when she saw the men. Before any of them had the sense to move she had turned and was running down a slope in the opposite direction. The captain ran after her calling to two of his men as he went.  
  
"Damrod, Mablung!" The two followed instantly.  
  
The girl was surprisingly fast but the men were much faster, so it didn't take them long to catch up. Just as the girl began to climb another slope, heading for an area of undergrowth she felt a hand tighten on the neck of her clothes. Because of the speed she was running she was pulled backwards, her collar tightening around her throat. She fell backwards onto the ground with a yelp. The captain bent down to pick her up but as he did the girl reached for a knife that he had failed to notice before. In one movement she drew the knife and slashed it across his outstretched hand. Blood spurted from the wound as the captain cradled it with his other hand for a moment. The girl took that opportunity to get back on her feet and once again tried to run. Damrod and Mablung drew level with their captain just as he resumed the chase.  
  
The girl had almost reached the undergrowth. She had run that way hoping to be able to lose her pursuers by hiding in the scrub. The plan did not work. All of a sudden she felt a sharp, burning pain in her right calf. The pain was so great that she cried out and fell to the ground. Before she could register what was happening, someone grabbed her by the top of her arm and wrenched her up. The grip on her arm was so tight it was painful and she tried desperately to get free. She spun around to face the man who was holding her and began hitting every part of him she could reach, using her free right hand. The man ignored her blows and grabbed her wrist. He then twisted her around and pinned both of her arms behind her back.  
  
Another man came up behind the girl and attempted to tie her hands. Still she struggled, though it was obvious that she was tiring. The man holding her still pushed her forwards onto her knees. This caused immense pain to shoot up her leg from the point where she had first felt the pain. She was slightly dazed which allowed the second man enough time to get the rope around her wrists. She realised what was happening and tried to shift her arms away from him but stopped when a sword was pointed right at her throat.  
  
The captain surveyed the girl in front of him through narrowed eyes. He held his sword with his left hand because of the knife wound on his right, which was bleeding profusely, leaving a puddle on the ground. He watched Damrod as he finished tying the girl's hands and stepped back. Mablung still kept a tight grip on her shoulders making sure that she did not move. The girl lifted her head back as the blade was raised, so that she was looking right into the face of the captain. She saw that he was a lot younger than the other men near her and he had gingery brown hair hanging down to his shoulders. There was a deadly look on his face.  
  
As he watched, the captain saw the wild fury that had filled the girl quickly drain away. Her expression changed completely; her eyes took on a far-away look and her face turned extremely white. She began to tremble violently and her breathing became fast and shallow. She looked directly in to the captain's eyes and he saw great fear and desperation in hers. The next second her head drooped and she went completely limp in Mablung's grip. She had fainted.  
  
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Author's note: Don't worry if you don't know what is going on – everything will be explained in future chapters. 


	3. Waking Up

Running  
Waking Up  
  
The captain stood watch over the strange girl as she slept. Apart from waking every now and then for a few moments at a time, she had slept non- stop for the rest of the day. This was partly because of her exhaustion and also because of the draught that had been poured down her throat when she had woken. The girl stirred and moaned in her sleep then, a deep frown appeared on her face. The young man wondered what she was dreaming of as he sat down against the trunk of a tree opposite her. He slipped into thought.  
  
Who was this girl who had such fury in her heart? What was she doing here? Where did she come from? Many questions swam in the man's mind and he hoped he would be able to find the answers to them once the girl awoke. He was impatient to find out more about her but he did not want to wake her up, she looked like she needed the rest. One of the many strange things about the girl was her appearance; she wore men's clothes, a shirt and a pair of trousers and had a belt around her waist which had previously held a knife. None of these clothes fitted her, they were all too big and there were many rips and tears in them. What he found especially strange was that she did not have any shoes.  
  
Whilst the young man was thinking the girl began to stir more often. This escaped his notice because he was so deep in thought. He was jolted to his senses when the girl woke abruptly with a scream.  
  
The girl's cry echoed through the clearing in which they rested, making many of the men jump and put their hands to their weapons. When they realised the girl was the source of the sound many of them looked at her in a questioning way, wondering why she had cause to scream.  
  
The girl's head snapped up and she had a look of terror on her face. She had obviously had a nightmare but the young captain wondered what it could have been about. It must have been something serious to have caused such strange behaviour. The girl stared straight ahead of her with the same far- away, dead look the captain had seen earlier. He just sat where he was, waiting for her to acknowledge him, which took quite a while.  
  
The first thing the girl saw was the man sitting in front of her. Her eyes flicked over to the men around the campfire, she noticed that there were about thirty of them, then back to the man. The man stood and took a step towards her. She tried to get up but found that she couldn't move. When she looked around she found that she was sitting against a young tree and her hands were bound at the other side of its trunk; that was the reason she couldn't move. As the man came nearer she tried to back away from him, pushing herself with her left leg; her right one didn't want to work.  
  
The captain felt slightly guilty about frightening the girl in this way, about tying her up but he could not trust her. She was fast and strong and he felt he could not turn his back on her for a second unless she was bound. He was now standing directly in front of her, looking down at her and receiving an icy glare. The girl was quite harmless at the moment and at the captain's mercy, but the look she gave him still unnerved him. She turned her head away and looked at the floor as he started to speak.  
  
"I am Faramir, Captain of Gondor. I wish to know your business in these lands." His voice was stern and commanding. He waited for an answer from the girl but none came.  
  
"I asked you what business you have in our lands." His tone was angrier and threatening.  
  
Still the girl did not reply she just stayed how she was, staring at the ground. The captain grew impatient and asked a simpler question.  
  
"What is your name?" He lowered his voice but there was still strong authority evident in every syllable.  
  
Before the girl had a chance to answer the captain was approached by one of his men, who she recognised as the one who had caught her earlier. The man whispered something to him and the captain nodded.  
  
"Mablung is going to fetch you something to eat. He will stay with you for a while. Perhaps when I return, you will answer my questions." Again his voice was low and gentle, but still it was commanding.  
  
Mablung had already left; the captain stood for a moment, looking at the girl before he turned around and followed Mablung back to the fire. He stopped and turned around when he heard a small voice.  
  
"What?" He enquired, for he had not been able to make out the words, they were so low.  
  
"Freyda," the girl replied, her voice no more than a whisper, "My name is Freyda." The captain looked at the girl once more before nodding curtly and going back to the camp.  
  
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Mablung took the girl some food a little while later. She was sitting perfectly still with her head hung low, her eyes closed. She opened her eyes and slowly looked up as he approached. She saw that he was carrying a small plate with some bread on it and a tin cup. At the sight of the food, she smiled slightly. Mablung set the food on the floor in front of her and moved around behind her to untie the rope. Another man came and leant against a tree a few feet away. This was probably so she couldn't get up and run again but right now she had no chance of escape because she couldn't move her leg an inch. When the rope was untied, her arms swung forward and hit the ground. It took a lot of effort to lift them into her lap; they felt light and floppy, like the bones had disappeared.  
  
The man who had been leaning on the tree stepped forward as Mablung retied the girl's hands in front of her. She did not move at all just sat still with her back resting against the tree, eyes closed. The men expected her to pounce on the food so they were both surprised that when Mablung drew back she stayed just where she was. After a few minutes it became apparent that she was not going to eat the food, or at least not 'til later, so Mablung went back to his seat by the fire. The other man however, remained where he was, looking down at the girl.  
  
Eventually the girl looked up at the man and realised that he was a lot younger than she had first thought. From what she could see he had a handsome face and dark hair. It was hard to tell because it was dark and his hood was pulled up over his head. She guessed that he was a few years older than her, eighteen summers at the most. She could just make out his eyes and there was a strange look in them, maybe guilt but it also looked like there was something else. If it was guilt in his eyes, what was he feeling guilty about? All these things were observed and it felt like they were alone for a long time, although in reality they only locked eyes for a few seconds before the boy turned away and went to join Mablung and the other men around the fire.  
  
The boy came back a few minutes later, carrying a bundle of things. He threw a knife down on the ground which caused the girl to panic for a moment until he sat down and spread the other things in front of him. In front of him there were some sticks, feathers and what looked like string. He picked up the knife and began to strip the bark off a few of the sticks. When he had stripped them of their bark he began to sharpen the end to a point using the knife with great speed and accuracy. After that he cut a small notch towards the top of each stick. Next he turned his attention to the large feathers he had brought. He split each one down the middle and flattened the quills. He then selected the right feather and the right stick, lined them up then lashed them together with the 'string'. As he tied the string off after lashing three feathers to the stick Freyda realised that it was too fine to be string, it was sinew. The first arrow was finished a few minutes after all the materials had been prepared.  
  
Freyda soon grew tired of watching the boy fletch the arrows and returned to staring at her knees. She longed to change position, to get more comfortable but she just could not move her leg. It was like it was no longer attached. Her left leg felt dead because of sitting in the same position for so long but if it wasn't for the fact that she could see her right leg, Freyda would have wondered if it was still there. She thought back to when she had first felt the pain, lifting her head to look at the arrows again, and then she made the connection.  
  
If nobody was near her when she was injured then she must have been hit from a range. Somebody had shot her while she was trying to run but she didn't understand why. She would have been caught anyway because the men who gave chase were much faster, so why did someone shoot at her? She found an answer straight away; they wanted to inflict pain on her. The arrow had obviously been taken out while she was asleep, but was the sleep simply caused by fatigue? Memories flashed into Freyda's mind. She remembered waking up with people standing over her, before falling asleep again. But there was something else she remembered, a thick liquid that had warmed her throat as it went down, leaving her feeling groggy and light-headed. She had not been awake to take the drink so they must have forced it upon her, there could be more of whatever it was in the food they had given her. She had been slightly suspicious when they had first given it to her but now she had absolutely no intention of eating any of it.  
  
There was a thud as Freyda threw the mug and the bread as far as she could with her weak arms. The boy, who had been concentrating on his work, jumped up as the contents of the mug splashed over him. He glared at the girl, who lowered her head and tensed her shoulders, expecting a blow. When he saw how scared she was he softened and his expression returned to normal. He stepped forward and crouched in front of the girl, a soft look on his face.  
  
"Why do you fear so?" He asked her.  
  
Freyda did not answer and kept her head down. She would not speak to him, would not allow herself to be trapped by words. They would try to gain her trust by pretending that they cared about her well-being and she would end up telling them things that she shouldn't. They would make her trust them then they would take advantage of her, they would do anything they liked. She would not allow that to happen.  
  
The boy was persistent; he would not leave Freyda until he found out what he wanted to know. He crouched lower like a frog, with his arms resting on his thighs trying to look at Freyda's face but she turned away so that he couldn't. She was thankful for her long hair because it fell down completely covering her face so that the boy couldn't see it at all. He put his hand on her shoulder, and felt her shudder at the unfamiliar touch.  
  
"Your name is Freyda?" He asked in a low gentle voice.  
  
Freyda gave a slight nod. The boy smiled slightly when she answered him, he had at least gotten somewhere. He was just opening his mouth to say something else when someone coughed behind him making both of them jump. The boy removed his hand from Freyda's shoulder and stood up, coming face to face with Mablung.  
  
"You can rest now Daramis; I will watch the girl for a while." His voice was stern and Freyda could tell that he was not someone to be argued with.  
  
Daramis nodded and went to pick up his things and the cup that she had thrown. He gave the girl one more glance before going to sit by the fire, right next to where Mablung had been sitting. Freyda breathed a sigh of relief; she did not want to be that close to any of these people. Mablung sat down against another tree a bit further away from her than Daramis had been and turned his gaze towards the stars.  
  
After a few minutes of looking up at the sky Mablung noticed the girl shiver. He was not surprised that she was cold, it was autumn and Gondor was experiencing bad weather of late, especially in this area because it was one of the higher places in the country. It did not help that the girl was only scantly clad. Mablung looked up and saw that the girl's face was white; she had absolutely no colour in her cheeks. He got up and walked back to the fire, coming back with a blanket. Freyda hadn't even noticed that he had gone so it came as a surprise when he covered her with the blanket and tucked it round behind her shoulders. Neither of them said anything but Mablung read the thanks in the girl's eyes. He returned to his seat against the tree as Freyda closed her eyes again and shuffled to get more comfortable. Soon she was asleep.  
  
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Author's note: Thank you to Rancher7, Kupo's little sister and psycho elf for reviewing. Kupo's little sister and Rancher 7 both thought that Freyda was like me and I think so too. She is unintentionally based on me. I wanted to show a stronger character not the classic damsel in distress. Her appearance is also like mine. Hope you all liked this chapter. BTW You may have noticed I have made some changes to the time this is set if you have looked at this more than once. This was intentional - I think this time works better. Original Sin No2 


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